We thought it was time to gather the voices of several of our interviewees thus far, to hear about their frustrations with the bench, their quest for a more satisfying career, and any tips or secrets they have for our readers. Listen in!\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n by Brian Shott\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Why did you leave academia?<\/b><\/p>\n Our interviewees describe their frustrations.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cI was on about my fourth temporary contract in academia, getting a bit frustrated. I would just get started with projects and then have to move on to the next job.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Dan Metcalf<\/span><\/a>, microscopy sales manager<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter becoming a mother, I was thinking, \u2018Do I really want to go back to research?\u2019 And with two scientists at home\u2014my husband is a researcher\u2014I thought, it\u2019s not possible.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Gloria Fuentes<\/span><\/a>, medical illustrator<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI realized that academic research wasn\u2019t for me while trudging through days of failed experiments\u2026I wanted to work on something that impacted society in my lifetime.<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Bani K. Suri<\/span><\/a>, entrepreneur<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI realized I became a postdoc because it was the \u2018default\u2019 choice, rather than something I really wanted to do.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Anjana Narayanan<\/span><\/a>, consultant and product manager\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe were doing non-applied science, basic research, and I had reached the point where I was like, \u2018Why am I doing all of this?\u2019 I decided to go to a company because I needed to have meaning in the work I\u2019m doing.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Carla Pratt<\/span><\/a>, \u00a0organic farmer<\/span><\/p>\n On taking the leap\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n Preparing, and then no turning back.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cWhen a recruiter approached me about selling Nikon products and training Nikon customers in superresolution microscopy, it seemed like a natural step.\u201d \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Dan Metcalf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI stumbled onto an opportunity to be part of a talent incubator. I learned a great deal about startups, thought processes, customer relations, doing market analysis and other \u2018real-world\u2019 skills.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Bani K. Suri<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI tried to learn as much as possible about management consulting. I read articles about top consulting firms, connected to consultants on LinkedIn, did informational chats, and signed up to a consulting newsletter.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Anjana Narayanan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u2026and landing on your feet.<\/b><\/p>\n What skills did you need in your new position?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cPresentation skills are important in the medical liaison industry. Communication really underpins everything we do.\u201d \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Sheri Hussain<\/span><\/a>, medical liaison\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou need to know and communicate the science in order to put all these things into a visual that makes sense for the project. I find illustrating trickier than writing sometimes.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Gloria Fuentes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBeing my own boss, I have to be strict enough to keep my own schedule and make sure I do all the work. ” <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Carla Pratt<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n In a startup, you work long, intense hours on your own work while putting other processes in place at the same time\u2014you roll up your sleeves and do what needs to be done! You learn a lot and wear many hats.\u201d \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Anjana Narayanan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The best part of your new career…<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s still about science, many told us.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cMeeting with clinicians and talking to them is probably my favorite bit.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014Sheri Hussain<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI really enjoy keeping up with the latest research. Even when I was on maternity leave, instead of watching Netflix I was reading scientific papers. Today, I\u2019ve been burying myself in papers related to Covid-19 just like any other researcher.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Gloria Fuentes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was a consultant, I loved working on different cases, understanding business scenarios and problem solving.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Anjana Narayanan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u2026and the worst.<\/b><\/p>\n Paperwork, managing people, and oh, the emails!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cMeeting tender deadlines is the most stressful. Filling out tender documents can be several days of work\u2026You can miss a \u00a3300,000 sale by missing a tender deadline by just an hour.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Dan Metcalf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe least favorite is probably admin. That\u2019s something I work on; I try to make sure I make time for my admin first up.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Sheri Hussain<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cContinuous human interaction, which is often lacking in a lab setup, is a major part of startup life that can sometimes overwhelm people from academia.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Bani K. Suri<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAfter two years as a consultant I realized that consulting is more than a job, it is a lifestyle. Constant travel and living out of a suitcase was hard.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Anjana Narayanan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Advice for those who want to leave academia?<\/b><\/p>\n Words of warning and encouragement.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cAs a scientist, you have many transferable skills that are highly valuable. The key is to make sure you showcase them in the right light.\u201d \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Anjana Narayanan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFor creative people, I think the field of medical illustration is here to stay\u2014especially animation. Five years ago, you wouldn\u2019t think someone working from home could do it. Now, you invest in a GPS card and you can make it.” \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014Gloria Fuentes<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMy advice for biologists venturing into entrepreneurship is to carefully consider the type of incubator you wish to join and thoroughly assess their capability to support your specific ideas and startup style.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014<\/span>Bani K. Suri<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEmployers are less interested in knowing which labs you worked in and for how long. Focus on things you have done and skills you have picked up at each stage of your professional journey.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n